An interview with Dasan Robinson

Here's an interview I did with Fire defender Dasan Robinson after yesterday's training session. The 25-year-old Robinson - who has made 9 appearances in all competitions for the Fire this year - talked pretty candidly about a variety of subjects in the interview. Some of the topics he and I touched on included his re-emergence (and red card) in the Colorado game, the ups and downs of his Fire career, and the team's chances this season. Check out the full transcript after the jump... **Kind of a re-emergence for you last week against Colorado, you scored the game winner, played solid defense; that had to feel good...**

**DR:** Yeah it was a great experience. It's good to be back out there, you know? I've been playing a few games here and there throughout the year, I'm just always ready for my opportunity and thankfully it came in this last week or so.

**Considering your performance against Colorado, it had to be especially tough to get the red card suspension for the D.C. game...**

**DR:** Oh, definitely. Barring any injury, you need every opportunity you can get and every game you can get. To be out of a game that I believe I could've been and should've been playing in is pretty hard to really grasp and take hold of. But you live and you learn and it happens and I guess I'm a better player and a better person for going through that experience. But it was definitely pretty frustrating but I'm maintaining and working hard out here in training and hopefully next game I'll get another opportunity.

**Your first two seasons with the Fire saw you get a lot of playing time [Dasan started over 20 matches in both 2006 and 2007], in the two years since though it's been a struggle for you to get on the field. How frustrating has that been?**

**DR:** It was tough. It's kind of an eye opening experience, kind of humbling. I learned a lot watching the game and became more of a student of the game and I was able to take some things in that maybe I took for granted before or maybe just didn't understand but now that I'm getting another opportunity I think I'm ready for it and ready to take grasp of what's in front of me.

**Sitting on the bench for an extended period of a season has to be rough on you mentally. What sort of mindset did you have while waiting for an opportunity to come your way?**

**DR:** Like I said you do your best to be ready at every opportunity. You never know when it's your time to go in. I remember a couple times in past years where I've been slotted to just dress and five minutes before the kickoff they're telling me I'm going in or something like that. You just got to be ready at all times it's as simple as that. Whether it's mentally, physically, all of the above this is what you get paid to do and I love doing it so there's no reason why I shouldn't be ready.

**With Baky's departure you figure to be one of the guys who sees a lot more playing time. That has to be a little bittersweet with the way he left but in the end its def a good thing for you, right?**

**DR:** It's the game, these things happen. Players get traded, sold, loaned away and it's just the way the game is. I got my opportunity [in 2006] when [former Fire defender] Jim Curtin broke his leg and you never want that to happen but unfortunately it happened and the coaches felt confident enough in me to put me in. These things happen and it's the same with Baky. I thought maybe I was slotted to be a starter maybe coming in [in 2008] but I had a hernia surgery in preseason and wasn't ready for the beginning of the season and Baky stepped in and took the job. But that's what you're supposed to do. Sometimes it happens to you, sometimes it happens to other people but whenever I'm on the field I just try to do my best. Our goal is to win a championship. [Baky's] a great player and great players tend to go to the highest level. Maybe [playing for French team Boulogne] is a higher level but whatever the circumstances are, he's there and I'm here and we have a goal of winning the MLS cup and that's what we're here for.

**Are you feeling any added pressure or nerves for the likely increased amount of chances coming your way?**

**DR:** No not necessarily. This is my fourth year on the team and I've played some games, some playoff games, some championship games and things like that so there's no added pressure. You do have to get into another mindset you know like "Alright, alright, I'm back in it. I'm playing a little bit more," but like I said before you got to be ready to play at all times. And I'm ready.

**As someone with some MLS experience, what do you think the team needs to do to continue the success for the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs?**

**DR:** To me it's all mental, it really is. We know the caliber of team we have, we know the talent we have, and we just have to work together on our goal and getting more and more focused on game in and game out doing the same thing. Whether it be home or away [we have to be] working harder than the other team, playing smart, playing effective soccer and that's what the game is about. But all of that starts here on the training field and [Wednesday] was a good start to that. We were getting some rest with the weekend off but let it be known that were working hard every day and mentally we have to get focused out here and that'll just transition right into the game.

**Does this team have what it takes to win it all?**

**DR:** Oh definitely. Every year I've been here I've thought we had the talent to take home the championship. My first year we were able to win the open cup but your legacy is left by trophies and the Fire has had quite a bit of success in the past and we want to continue that. Last year we had a great team and we still have pretty much the same nucleus of guys so there's no reason we can't do it this year. I think this is the best team I've ever been on, we just to have to get ourselves together and regroup and understand what our main goal is and that's taking one game at a time and then ultimately taking the MLS cup. But know that we're going to do our best every single time we step on the field.